


A younger brother’s tears

by Katical



Category: One Piece
Genre: Closure, Crying, Empathy, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Zou - Freeform, banquet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katical/pseuds/Katical
Summary: Law had always supported Bepo in his search for his brother and his desire to visit his homeland, Zou. That was why, when the Heart Pirates reunited after the events of Dressrosa, Law assumed that Bepo had found his brother, or at least, know of his whereabouts. But it turned out he hadn’t yet. So, when Bepo finally learnt the truth, Law was right there by his side.
Relationships: Bepo & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 10
Kudos: 76





	A younger brother’s tears

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I came up with this idea at WCI when Zepo was introduced. I instantly wondered whether Bepo knew about what happened because Bepo met Law 13 years ago, a year after Bepo left Zou which was a year after Zepo left, so… That means Bepo hasn’t seen his brother in about 15 years and he’ll never get to see him again! ;_; Oh, that’s just too sad!! Hence why I wrote this, haha… I’m terrible. So yeah, I hope you enjoy this small dose of angst (but don’t worry, there’s some fluff too)

Sipping his beer a short distance away from the bustling centre of the banquet, Law enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere created by the mingling and laughter of the mink tribe, Straw Hat crew and Heart Pirate crew. A small smile pulled at his lips as he watched his crew members getting along with the others, sharing drinks and joking around as if it were natural.

“Hey, Torao!”

Turning to regard the person who called him, Law greeted the other captain.

“Straw Hat-ya.”

A bright smile stretched across Luffy’s face as he walked closer with a large plate of food in one hand and two bottles of beer in the other.

“Why are you sitting here on your own?” Luffy asked as he made himself comfortable next to Law, their shoulders bumping as he sat down.

“It’s too lively for me over there.” Law replied, eyes drifting from Luffy back to the happy crowd.

A light chuckle left Luffy. “That sounds just like you. These are for you, by the way.”

Sliding the two bottles of beer that he brought along to Law, Luffy wasted no time in gobbling up his food. Law huffed a laugh and muttered a quiet word of thanks before finishing his previous beverage.

Enjoying each other’s company, Law found himself glancing over to Luffy while the other snatched up a large piece of meat and stuffed it straight into his mouth. Being a rubber man allowed Luffy to hold more food than humanly possible in his mouth and it fascinated Law every time. The way Luffy’s body worked because of the effects of his devil fruit made him so very interesting.

“Hmm?” Large round eyes snapped to Law before he tilted his head in question. “You want some?” Luffy asked, waving a hand over the plate of food that he brought along. Though, less than half of the contents remained.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Law declined politely before taking a sip of his beer.

“Oh, okay then.” Luffy shrugged, turning back to his food and resuming his eating.

It didn’t take long before Luffy finished all his food and sighed contently while patting his inflated belly. Lying down on the ground, Luffy’s eyes looked around at nothing in particular until they landed on Law. When they made eye contact, Luffy simply smiled brightly.

Law found himself smiling softly back before hiding his expression by sipping at his beer.

“Ah,” Luffy suddenly spoke up. Glancing to the side, Law watched as Luffy sat up, eyes looking in the direction of the banquet. “Isn’t that your bear over there?” He pointed.

Lowering his beer, Law looked in the direction Luffy pointed and sure enough, it was Bepo. The Heart Pirates’ navigator was holding a drink of his own in both hands while walking around as if looking for something. His wore a sad expression, contrasting with the atmosphere around him.

“He looks lost.” Luffy pointed out. “I wonder what’s wrong.”

Having known Bepo for so long, Law had an idea.

“Bepo!” He called out to his crewmate.

The call of his name made Bepo’s ear flick towards Law. Beady black eyes looked over before a smile pulled on his lips. “Ah, Captain!” He waved an arm over his head as he jogged up to Law and Luffy.

“What’s the matter?” Law asked softly as Bepo slowed to a stop in front of him.

“Ah…” Bepo’s ears drooped a little as his gaze fell to the ground. “It’s just… I still haven’t found my brother yet.”

“You have a brother?” Luffy repeated curiously from beside Law.

Bepo nodded in response.

“Why haven’t you asked the other minks yet?” Law wondered. His crew had already been on Zou for a while so he thought Bepo would have surely asked around and got an answer about his brother.

Bepo shook his head. “I want to surprise him!” He answered, big paws clenching into fists in front of him in a show of determination.

Just as a quiet sigh left Law, someone approached from behind Bepo.

“Excuse me.”

Law looked up to see a jaguar mink.

“Ah, Pedro.” Bepo greeted, stepping aside so that he could join them. “Captain, this is Pedro. He’s the captain of the Guardians.”

“I see,” Law nodded. “Thanks for looking after my crew while I was away.”

“No need,” Pedro dismissed with a wave of his hand before looking a little apologetic. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but when I overheard your conversation a moment ago, I can’t help but speak up.”

Raising an eyebrow at Pedro, Law glanced at Luffy beside him who looked over briefly before shaking his head with a clueless expression.

Pedro turned to Bepo who tilted his head in confusion, and then bowed.

“Eh?!” Bepo startled at the sudden action, reaching a paw out to the other mink in confusion. “P-Pedro, why are you-?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realise this sooner.” Pedro spoke. “Your name and appearance… I should have made the connection but I didn’t.”

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Bepo asked, his paw halted in mid air as he struggled to understand the situation.

Watching the interactions, Law felt a quiet dread at the back of his mind.

Pedro swallowed thickly. “Bepo, you mentioned that you have a brother, correct?”

“Do you know Zepo-nii?” Bepo asked hopefully.

From the way Pedro was acting, his expression and the direction of the conversation, Law pursed his lips as he predicted what the other was going to say. One quick glance to Bepo looking expectant and excited, Law knew that this wasn’t the time to break the news.

Making a move to interrupt the conversation, Law thinking that he could speak to Pedro privately to confirm the details before telling Bepo the truth himself, a firm hand was placed over his. Turning to Luffy, Law was met with a hard gaze. Large round eyes silently told him not to interrupt and to let Pedro say what he needed to.

Law hesitated and in that moment, Pedro spoke.

“I’m sorry! Zepo…” Pedro bowed his head lower. “He passed away five years ago. I couldn’t protect him. I’m sorry.”

“Eh…?” The excited smile that wore on Bepo’s face only moments ago fell. “You’re lying...”

The crack in Bepo’s voice broke Law’s heart. He gripped onto Luffy’s hand as he watched Bepo process the truth. His gaze fell to the ground as his cute round ears gradually wilted until they were pressed flatly against his head.

“I’m sorry.” Pedro repeated.

“No, stop!” Bepo shook his head in denial, tossing his drink behind him before placing his paws onto Pedro’s shoulders. “Tell me you’re lying!”

Pedro only stayed silent.

“No…” Bepo took a step back, releasing Pedro as his arms fell to his side.

Luffy finally let go of Law’s hand and the captain of the Heart Pirates wasted no time in getting up to catch Bepo as he sank to his knees.

“Bepo,” Law wrapped his arms around his navigator’s large shoulders, running his hands through thick white fur in an attempt to calm his friend.

“It’s not true…” Bepo gripped the back of Law’s shirt. “Zepo-nii is… Zepo-nii is…!”

Having been looking forward to seeing his brother again after so many years, the shock was too great for Bepo to handle. Howling in grief, tears erupted from the bear’s usually cheerful, beady black eyes. The hold around Law tightened, resulting in Bepo’s claws accidently digging into his captain’s back. Although the pain was unexpected, Law knew that a few punctures in the back were nothing compared to what the other was feeling. Pursing his lips together, Law simply held Bepo tighter, reassuring him that he was by his side.

It wasn’t clear how long he had cried, but Bepo eventually exhausted himself. Law carefully moved his large crewmate off from where he had been hugging him so that he could lay Bepo’s head down on his lap. Gently wiping away the remaining tears that ran down the mink’s cheeks, Law sighed quietly.

“Oh, Torao!” A loud whisper called out to him.

Law turned his head to see Luffy waving at him with Chopper following closely behind. He didn’t even notice when Luffy and Pedro left.

“I brought Chopper so he could look at your back,” Luffy spoke quietly, reminding Law that his back had been clawed by Bepo while he was having a break down.

“Oh, thanks.” Law nodded in gratitude.

Chopper smiled pleasantly before he opened the first aid box he had with him.

“Can you take off your shirt, please?” The reindeer asked politely.

Law complied and began to unbutton his shirt. Passing it to Luffy to hold after removing it, Chopper began to examine his injuries.

“How is he?” Luffy asked as he squatted down beside Law.

“Asleep,” Law replied, gently stroking the top of Bepo’s head.

The mink snuggled into Law, before muttering quietly. “Captain…”

A quiet chuckle left Luffy. “He’s dreaming about you.”

Law smiled softly before he looked up at Luffy. “Straw Hat-ya.”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you stop me earlier?” Law asked.

Luffy sat down, folding his arms before humming in thought. “Pedro was working up a lot of courage to say those words so it was only right to let him say what he needed to.” Luffy hummed again. “It’s probably something he has regretted for a long time so giving him this chance will give him some closure, maybe.”

“I see,” Law replied, understanding Luffy’s thoughts on the matter.

“Plus,” Luffy continued, leaning his head onto Law’s shoulder. Large round eyes looked up to Law briefly before he looked down at Bepo. “He needs to learn the truth before he can start the road of acceptance and recovery.”

At those words, Chopper halted his treatment momentarily. Law didn’t react but he knew that his and Chopper’s thoughts were the same. The only reason Luffy was able to say those words was because he had also experienced the loss of an elder brother.

Leaning his head against Luffy’s as Chopper resumed his treatment on his back, Law took Luffy’s hand in his own while his other continued to stroke Bepo.

Law could feel Luffy smile against his shoulder at the action. “He’ll be alright though,” Luffy said, reaching his other hand out to where Law was stroking Bepo. “I’ve seen him fight, and he’s one of your crew members. I know he’s strong so… he’ll be fine.”

The quiet words of reassurance made Law smile softly.

By the time Chopper had finished treating Law’s back, Luffy had fallen asleep on Bepo. The doctors looked at the two asleep and shared a smile. Putting his shirt back on, Law was just buttoning up when Luffy muttered something in his sleep.

“Ace…”

Law looked over to the other and noticed how a single tear was gathering in the corner of Luffy’s eye. Before Law reached out to wipe it away, the tear drop rolled down Luffy’s cheek and disappeared into Bepo’s fur. A quiet sigh left through a gentle smile as Law carefully wiped away the wet trail the tear left on Luffy’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh, that was cute, but sad too. I just love Law and Bepo’s relationship, like they’re best friends, they trust and care about each other. Law and Luffy are cute too for obvious reasons. And yes, I threw in a reminder of Ace... because I miss him. And I know you do too! Wow, I’m sad now. Haha, oops. Anyway, thank you for reading!


End file.
